# Call me naive... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 13, 2001, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-me-naive/93093 "2001-11-13T08:56:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ab097/32.png) [@Khan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-me-naive/93093/1 "2001-11-13T08:56:06Z")
…but why is it that saying something along the lines of “I have many [insert minority here] friends” is taboo? The reasoning escapes me at the moment, and the fact that it makes such a broad generalization about whatever the group in question is seems to provide insufficient explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Gaspode](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gaspode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaspode)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-me-naive/93093/2 "2001-11-13T09:15:10Z")
It’s not taboo, it’s just that it’s almost invariably affixed with “but those niggers are stupid, kikes are greedy, fags are immoral etc.” It’s a cliche disclaimer before an offensive and bigoted statement and almost as laughable as “I’m not racist/homophobic/misogynistic but”. Having friends from some group doesn’t make you less bigoted for hating the group as whole so the statement “Some of my best freinds are (insert minority here)”. If you’re saying it because you think it’s something to be proud of then by strict definition you are a racist. You’re treating these minority freinds as a separate category because of their minority status. No one would would proudly declare “I have many human friends” so why be proud because these humans are your freinds? If you’re just saying it because it’s true or because you want to use it as anecdotal evidence (“I’ve got lots of Russian freinds and not one of them drinks”) no one I know would have a problem with it. If you’re saying it because you think it mitigates your views then it’s morally unsupportable and logically invalid even if it is true. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-me-naive/93093/3 "2001-11-13T09:19:21Z")
The problem arises when the speaker uses the statement in attempt to prove/show that he/she/it is NOT A RACIST, as if by asserting that he/she/it has friends of the particular minority that he/she/it happens to be slagging of at that point in time makes the prejudice that he/she/it holds any more acceptable. Gp ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-me-naive/93093/4 "2001-11-13T14:57:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gaspode \* > “I’m not racist/homophobic/misogynistic **but** ”. _Highlighting mine_ As an aside I worked with a psychiatrist who gave me a nice little piece of advice. Anytime (loosely speaking) someone say “but” in a conversation throw out everything they said before the “but” to get the real message. E.G. “I love you _but_ you’re such an asshole.” Should be heard as, “You’re such an asshole.” E.G. “I’m not racist/homophobic/misogynistic _but_ homosexuals are immoral.” Should be heard as, “Homosexuals are immoral.” I’ve found it to be a fairly useful process. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-me-naive/93093/5 "2001-11-13T15:14:15Z")
Hey, I asked this very question earlier this year in GD. You might want to check it out here: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=55725](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=55725) ---
**Author:** ![Delta-9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@Delta-9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delta-9)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-me-naive/93093/6 "2001-11-13T15:30:42Z")
You are naive. _::flees::_ [sub]Welcome to the Straight Dope, BTW[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Khan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ab097/32.png) [@Khan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-me-naive/93093/7 "2001-11-13T22:04:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Delta-9 \* > \*\*You are naive. > > _::flees::_ > > [sub]Welcome to the Straight Dope, BTW[/sub] \*\* _brandishes a tesseract and gives chase_ heh heh heh Thanks, all.